Gandhinagar: The new cable-stayed flyover at Bhat Char Rasta on the road connecting the state capital, Gandhinagar, with Ahmedabad Airport was opened to vehicular traffic by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel this morning.

The 1.48-km-long cable-stayed flyover, built at an estimated cost of ₹175 crore, is the first cable-stayed flyover in an urban area of Gujarat.

The flyover has been constructed with equal financial participation from the state government’s Roads and Buildings Department and the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA).

Along with inaugurating the flyover, the Chief Minister also launched the project to widen the existing six-lane bridge over the Narmada Main Canal between Koba Circle and Bhat Circle on the Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad corridor into a 12-lane bridge.

To eliminate the bottleneck caused by heavy traffic, the state government has approved a ₹48-crore project to construct an additional bridge with three lanes on either side of the existing bridge between Koba Circle and Bhat Circle. Once completed, the project will ensure uninterrupted six-lane traffic flow across the entire corridor and help accommodate future growth in traffic.

The Gandhinagar-Koba-Airport Road and the S.P. Ring Road together carry more than 1.93 lakh vehicles every day. As Bhat Circle is a major junction on the Gandhinagar-Airport Road, it frequently experiences traffic congestion, leading to delays and increased fuel consumption.

With the commissioning of the new cable-stayed flyover, traffic on the S.P. Ring Road will move at two different levels. Vehicles on the Ring Road will pass beneath the flyover, while traffic traveling between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar will use the elevated bridge, reducing congestion and improving traffic flow at the busy junction. DeshGujarat